Air Marshal PV Shivanand on Wednesday assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the Indian Air Force.
On taking over the appointment, the Air Marshal paid homage to the fallen personnel at the South Western Air Command War Memorial.
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1988, Air Marshal Shivanand is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment, and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.
He has logged more than 2,800 flying hours on the MiG-21 fighter aircraft and the IL-76 AWACS platform.
During his distinguished career, he has held several operational, command and staff appointments, including serving as Defence and Air Attaché at the Embassy of India in Washington D.C., with concurrent accreditation to Canada.
He has commanded two frontline Indian Air Force squadrons and a premier airbase in the Eastern sector. He has also served at Headquarters South Western Air Command and Air Headquarters, specialising in air operations, air defence, airborne sensors and networking.
The Indian Air Force said Air Marshal Shivanand has played a key role in the operationalisation of critical platforms and the implementation of several air defence initiatives, contributing significantly to strengthening surveillance capabilities and the country’s integrated air defence architecture.
Before assuming his new role, he was serving as the Senior Air Staff Officer at the Headquarters Central Air Command.
Air Marshal Shivanand succeeds Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, who has taken over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff from July 1.
